Let's start with point #2. Google has declared that its core mission is "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." However, there is some information they are well aware of but have chosen to hide, in the reports they provide to AdWords advertisers:

How does Google explain the decision to detail clicks from individual domains on their pay per click advertising network but to hide the individual parked domains from advertisers? Over nine months ago, they said (emphasis mine):

The Placement Performance report provides site-by-site performance metrics -- including clicks, impressions, cost, and conversion data -- for domains or URLs in the content network where your ads have appeared. The report also provides a new level of transparency for traffic you accrued from sites in our network that are participating in the AdSense for domains program. Currently, AdSense for domains statistics are collectively reported, but we are working to give you site-by-site level statistics soon.

After almost a year, they still haven't organized this information for advertisers! That's a miserable failure. For a company that develops new products and services at the pace that Google does, this is a stunning failure. I'm not convinced they will ever complete their mission. So, I'll organize some of this information for them. I wanted to know the source of these 916 clicks from parked domains on the search network (NOTE: content network was OFF for this campaign):

I dug through web server log files to find the origin of these clicks. I was stunned to see where they came from. To borrow a phrase from renowned domainer, Frank Schilling, it will "blow your hair back" to see the high quantity but very low quality of these domain names. Here's a sample of the garbage traffic on the Google AdWords *SEARCH* network:

555sss.com

abtanet.com

allinz.com

amazingpornstrar.net

amexassurance.com

autohu.com

b.com.cn

babrie.com

bodjoj.com

buding.cn

clikjogos.com

europassist.com

iaj.cn

infotube.tv

jshopper.com

manullife.com

noo.net

roter.com

sekstutkunu.com

sexpaty.tv

specialityrisk.com

thaionlinemaket.com

topmusicasnet.com

travelgaurd.com

tubou.cn

tutkusu.com

ufeng.net

wuae.cn

wwwbmg.com

xirin.cn

xise.com.cn

zfotoz.com

zoili.com

zzxxx.com

Now do you understand why Google has a miserable failure on their hands? Can you believe advertisers are unwittingly paying for this, for lack of a better term, crap? Can you see why Google chooses to aggregate domain ads clicks in reports rather than detail individual parked domain names? Domainers, can you see why PPC advertisers are wary of parked domains? These are not generic keyword domains. These don't belong on the AdWords search network. I don't think they even belong on the content network. For this reason, I repeat my advice to block parked domains on the search network.

I honestly cannot believe that Google turns a blind eye to this sort of garbage traffic on their own advertising network. They claim to sift through their log filesto help prevent fraud. Don't they see this traffic? Note that the actual parked domains are not visible in the log files. All of the clicks are routed through complex URLs with domain names like:

I think someone at Google recognizes they have a miserable failure on their hands. They simply cannot fulfill their mission to organize the world's information because that would reveal the fact that Google is profiting from typosquatting. Instead, they've decided to let advertisers opt out of AdSense for Domains traffic. Unfortunately, that means advertisers will be losing some good traffic from valuable generic keyword domains. It also doesn't go far enough. Google should apologize for their wrongdoing, proactively issue retroactive refunds for this garbage traffic, and keep search network traffic clean going forward.

11 Comments:

What difference does all this detail make? Advertisers are paying x dollars for advertising with Google and getting y dollars in return, right? If they weren't getting a good return, they wouldn't be advertising with Google.

to the idiot who posted this comment above, of course it matters. the true ROI is exponentially higher if all this crap traffic was not included. but advertisers are swindled bec they are told you get a certain ROI and bec they dont know, they find that ROI acceptable.

richard, you really want to get a real picture of what is going on, reverse IP the servers of domainsponsor and sedo. also, download snapnames.com expiring domains. everyone carries adwords ads.

i read a comment that people are putting .asia domains into domain sponsor. would love to see all the "type in" traffic these get.

richard, you know goog took out the quality guarantee in the adwords contracts advertisers signed. in fact, if you read the contract closely, they now explicitly disavow any measure of quality to advertisers.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Google disclaims all guarantees regarding positioning, levels, quality , or timing of: (i) costs per click; (ii) click through rates; (iii) availability and delivery of any impressions, Creative, or Targets on any Partner Property, Google Property, or section thereof;

you think this has anything to do with parking this crap.

i doubt any advertisers know that. they just quietly stuck it in the contracts.

Interesting. I haven't looked at the AdWords Terms and Conditions for awhile. Odd that Google is making advertisers jump through Quality Score hoops while not taking responsibility for click quality themselves. They have a pretty aggressive legal team, I suppose.

Thanks for pointing this out. I'll quote even further, in the disclaimer section: "Google disclaims all guarantees regarding... quality... of... clicks... Customer understands that third parties may generate impressions or clicks on Customer's ads for prohibited or improper purposes, and Customer accepts the risk of any such impressions and clicks. Customer's exclusive remedy, and Google's exclusive liability, for suspected invalid impressions or clicks is for Customer to make a claim for a refund in the form of advertising credits for Google Properties within the time period required under Section 7 below. Any refunds for suspected invalid impressions or clicks are within Google's sole discretion."

Not sure how GOOG ever will be able to keep up with click fraud. There are more sinister things that look totally "legal" and is at least borderline to fraud. There are sites that scrape the content of Google ads (maybe they belong to GOOG???) and get clicks by redirecting using link code. I have tried to get hold of AdWord people but so far they haven't responded more than the usual "Dear John" email. As far as I understand, GOOG is way behind in detecting fraud since they only use old detection rules...

It's certainly not surprising to me that Google is either a) neglectful of services they offer b) ignoring the truth in the face of their own bottom line -- keep in mind the advertising giant was originally a search company. Also keep in mind that the status quo is the name of the game at Google. Google employees are notorious for a) weird geeky (introverted, odd or eccentric) hobbies b) owning expensive houses or possessing tremendous wealth.

So much wealth, in fact, that many of them left Goog in 2007 when its stock was at its peak to pursue their own dreams, instead of Larry, Eric and Sergei's.

Now, with a mission statement like "organize all of the world's information", you'll note that Google Maps directions are notoriously inaccurate, their golden age of photographing the nation is over and thus Google StreetView will fall into further disrepair (as it already has). Of course, this comes from the company that believes YOUR WORK is THEIR ASSET, see the ongoing litigation against Google for infringing copyright holders over the Google Books fiasco.

Initially I only listed NameMedia but I filed a trademark complaint that was rejected by Google Inc. and now they will be added for licensing a TM'd domain that is currently only a parked site.

They chose not to settle out-of-court so now a jury will decide how much they must pay to feel punished. I will ask for one percent or a billion dollars.

Go click-close a few ads at sleepspot.com There is more than one way to skin a cat. They call Protest click-closes click-frauds but they profit greatly from it every day. A list of parked sites to protest-click out of existence? Needs a website.